THE RELIGION OF THE FUTURE.

Freethought Review, Volume I, Issue 8, 1 May 1884, Page 7

THE RELIGION OF THE FUTURE.

Hudson Tuttill, in 'The Index,' writes:—The-re-ligion of the future will accept and embody the truths of all systems. In doing so, it will not inquire its source, for truth bears the impress of no man's ownership or personality. To it, Jesus in his manger, Mohammed on his camel in the desert, or wisest monarch on his throne, are the same. This religion will be the science of life here and hereafter; and, as man is bound to the universe as an integral part, his understanding of the laws of the world will be its basis. It will teach the infinite possibilities of man, and his duty to cultivate these to the utmost.

The man who professes the religion of the future will accept nature as his Bible, and regard all books as valuable only for the truth they express. He will have no fear of offending God, but will fear to become out of harmony with the laws of his own constitution. His theology will be anthropology, the study of himself; the only devil will be ignorance ; his faith will become ripened knowledge, and he will repose implicit confidence in the laws of the world.

Infallible authority of books or castes, reverence for antiquity, miracles, faiths, dogmas, saints, martyrs, popes, priests, fear of angry gods, all the trappings that have been received as divine, holy, sacred, will perish before the keen flame of knowledge, and no more blight the expanding spirit for ever. The old religions with their hollow shams shall perish ; but morality, the growth of intelligence, freed from gross and perverting idolatry, will achieve a nobility of character unknown before.

While all preceding religions have developed a priesthood, superstitions, bigotry, persecutions, arrogance of infallibility, and fostered ignorance, selfishness, and servile fear of a terrible, relentless God and his vicegerents, this will yield nobility of life, highest ideals of perfection, calm reliance in the presence of omnipotent forces, all-embracing charity and philanthropy, an earnest and successful endeavour to actualize the ideal perfect life to which man aspires, and which his organisation makes possible.

The Salvation Army of Denver, Col., paid its respects to Col. “Bob” Ingersoll in a bod}', and exhorted him to repent ere it is too lute. The Colonel listened to them philosophically, puffing away at his cigar and making the smoke curl as he blew it into the air. After they had finished, he told them that he would consider what they had told him, but couldn’t promise to accept their views.

Wendell Phillips, besides being a great orator, was a noted wit. His death revived the following story, which was always good, and seems to grow better with each repetition: As Mr. Phillips was journeying over the New York Central, a rather pompous clergyman approaching him asked, "What is your aim in life?" To which Mr. Phillips bluntly replied, "To benefit the negro." " Why don't you go South, then, and do it?" inquired the Rev. gentleman. "Well, that is worth thinking about," answered Mr Phillips, " But, " continued he, " I notice that you wear a rather white neck-tie; I would like to ask what is your aim in life?" "To save souls from hell," was the answer. " Well, then, why don't you go to hell and do it 1" asked Mr Phillips, but he received no answer. His clerical friend went into another car.

The ' Boston Investigator' gives an account of the unveiling a statue to Harriet Martineau at the Old South, Boston, in the last week in the year. The statue is of heroic size, and represents Miss Martineau in a sitting posture,with one foot just visible resting on a hassock. The name of the sculptor is Miss Whitney. Speeches were delivered by Mrs Mary Livermore, Wendell Phillips and the son of the late Wm. Lloyd Garrison. Wendell Phillips— the silvertongued Demosthenes"—speaking of the opposition Harriet Martineau encountered on the Slavery question, said that "in spite of all, she sought out the Abolitionists and expressed a desire to attend a meeting to be held. They could not hold it in a public hall. There was no church or hall open to them. The only place — your faces, Christians ! —the only one that in those days was open to the Abolitionists, was hired by Infidels, and over which they had control. But the infidelity of that day is the Christianity of this." (Applause) The hall referred to was the Julian Hall, occupied for lecturing by Abner Kneeland, who edited the Investigator 50 years ago.

"It is time that this ill-suppressed murmur of all thoughtful men against the famine of our churches; this moaning of the heart because it is bereaved of the consolation, the hope, the grandeur, that come alone out of the cultivation of the moral nature ; should be heard through the sleep of indolence, and over the din of routine. This great and perpetual office of the preacher is not discharged. Preaching is the expression of the moral sentiment in application to the duties of life. In how many churches, by how many prophets, tell me is man made sensible that he is an infinite Soul ; that the earth and heavens are passing into his mind; that he is drinking for ever the soul of God 1 The faith should blend with the light of rising and of setting suns, with the flying cloud, the singing bird, and the breath of flowers. But now the priest's Sabbath has lost the splendour of nature ; it is unlovely ; we are glad when it is done ; we can make, we do make, even sitting in our pews, a far better, holier, sweeter, for ourselves."—Emerson.

As yet the New Learning, though scared by Luther's intemperate language, had steadily backed him in the struggle. Erasmus pleaded for him with the emperor; XJlrich von Hutten attacked the friars in satires and invectives as violent as his own. But the temper of the Revival was even more antagonistic to the temper of Luther than than of Pome itself. From the golden dream of a new age, wrought peacefully and purely by the slow progress of intelligence, the growth of letters, the developement of human virtue, the Reformer of Wittenberg turned away in horror. He had little or no sympathy with the new culture. He despised reason as heartily as any Papal dogmatist could despise it. He hated the very thought of toleration or comprehension. He had been driven by a moral and intellectual compulsion to declare the Roman system a false one, but it was only to replace it by another system of doctrine just as elaborate and claiming precisely the same infallibility. To degrade human nature was to attack the very base of the New Learning; but Erasmus no sooner advanced to its defence than Luther declared man to be utterly enslaved by original sin and incapable through any efforts of his own of discovering truth or arriving at goodness."—Green's Short History of the English People.

I never yet heard man or woman much abused, that I was not much inclined to think the better of them ; and to transfer any suspicion or dislike to the person who appeared to take delight in pointing out the defects of a fellow-creature. —[Jane Porter.